Need Advice: the best coaxial digital cable you choose

headrott

Tonality in a digital cable doesn't have to be represented in a digital cable by noise or distortion. Different metals (or lack of metals as is the case of a digital cable I use by Cerious, which uses liquid ceramic conductors) can alter the nonality of the signal. Also, dielectrics, wire geometry, and how the wire is terminated (among other things) can alter the signal (due to signal speed, how the metal interacts with the digital signal, etc). It does take a certain quality level in your system (with enough resolution and detail), trained ears, and perhaps a little open-mindedness to recognize these differences. As you said, your perception can become your reality. That does not mean that it is reality. Perception is reality can go for both sides of the argument though. Reality is what it is. Becoming aware of that reality isone of the fun things about the audio journey.

headrott

Also, to the original poster: I just found a for sale thread for 3 of the Cerious ceramic conductor digital cables on AudioCircle here. I highly recommend the coaxial digital cable. He has it listed for $225, but says he is accepting "reasonable offers". I definately recommend you pick this one up if you have the money. I use the AES/EBU version and it is an excellent cable.

Edit: I have no affiliation with the seller at all. I just like the Cerious digital cable.

mantis

I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it again. Once you achieve the goal , you can't make a cable any better to perform the job better.
With that being said , you need a solid high quality 75 ohm tested cable that can send the signal from A to B unaffected as much as possible.
Most cable companies do a good job as I have not heard differences in Coax Digital cables. I have done listening tests with cables costing 50 bucks up to thousands. Terminating a 75 ohm cable is actually very easy. Building a quality digital coax cable is very easy , I build them all the time.
If you want to feel safe and buy a good quality cable to assure your getting the best for your money , look into Audioquest , they build all of their cables to a very high standard. Can't go wrong here or buy a better digital coax cable from anyone.

helipilotdoug

Paul J Wright wrote: »

thank you for all inputs!

besides theoretical info., would some people keep sharing which coaxial cables you think is the best sounding?

thank you!!

http://www.douglasconnection.com/Neotech-Digital-Interconnect-and-Vampire-Wire-9X-CB-NVDIC.htm

jeremymarcinko

tonyb wrote: »

It's listed in post #5. Funny thing is I don't see anything that has or requires a digital cable.

Really

steveinaz

Jeremy--
I think the 75ohm specification is critical with digital, moreso than impedance on analog RCA's; which can be all over the map. This probably explains why analog IC's are alot easier to detect differences. Digital signal transmission should be more about how the cable performs impedance-wise, rather than boutique materials. Just my opinion. I once tried a Kimber Hero (analog IC) as a digital cable---it was horrible. Flubby bass, rolled off treble; it was then I KNEW even in digital, cable choice is important.

The above example also explains why it's fine to use any digital cable as an analog IC, but the inverse is not necessarily true--due to poor adherence to impedance specs of analog cables.

jeremymarcinko

steveinaz wrote: »

Jeremy--
I think the 75ohm specification is critical with digital, moreso than impedance on analog RCA's; which can be all over the map. This probably explains why analog IC's are alot easier to detect differences. Digital signal transmission should be more about how the cable performs impedance-wise, rather than boutique materials. Just my opinion. I once tried a Kimber Hero (analog IC) as a digital cable---it was horrible. Flubby bass, rolled off treble; it was then I KNEW even in digital, cable choice is important.

The above example also explains why it's fine to use any digital cable as an analog IC, but the inverse is not necessarily true--due to poor adherence to impedance specs of analog cables.

Yeahp it is important to chose a DIGITAL cable.

steveinaz

Guys, can we discuss rather than body-slam?

jeremymarcinko

steveinaz wrote: »

Guys, can we discuss rather than body-slam?

I wasn't trying to come off condescending. Actually agreeing with you, Interconnects dont make good SPDIF'S.

steveinaz

The comment wasn't for you.

John K.

Paul, welcome. The coaxial cables that I've used for about the past six years are various lengths of these , which combine excellent build quality and low price. They have no "tonal characteristic"; coaxial cables simply are a pathway for the electromagnetic wave carrying the music signals traveling down the outside surface of the conductor. A cable which did impose a tonal characteristic would be either defective or the design of someone not interested in maintaining high fidelity standards.

headrott

John, perhaps you missed the part that a certain quality level is needed to hear the differences in cables (this means resolution and etail levels). The cable you are recommending itself (IMO) isn't to a standard to hear the differences in cables, so I am sure they all souunded the same to you. As I have not used a Monoprice cable (although I have read many others that have) I cannot comment on the build quality directly, however I can gurantee you it is not the same build quality as the Cerious cable I listed above. I am not necessarily suggesting the digital cable needs to be of this quality or cost to be of quality design, materials, and build to hear the differences in cables (although you need quality source, pre-amp, amp and speakers as well) along with the training to hear differences in audio equipment (this training can come from yourself) and as I stated previously, a somewhat open mind. Have you utilized all of these?

To the OP, I would highly not suggest the Monoprice digital coaxial cable if you are looking for "the best". That Monoprice surely isn't it. Period. Cheap? Absolutely. "The best"? Absolutely not. I wouldn't even say "good", again IMO.

BlueFox

Wow! A 12 foot digital cable for only $2. And he says it is as good as a Shunyata Python Ztron digital cable, or an MIT Magnum. With advice like that no wonder the average person has no idea what good sound is.

tonyb

Amen to that Fox.......John is certainly entitled to his opinion, but thats about it. Cable threads....ya gotta love 'em.

jeremymarcinko

But a digital signal, because of the way its information is stored, can be quite robust. While the signal will always degrade to some degree in the cable, if the receiving circuit can actually reconstitute the original bitstream, reception of the signal will be, in the end analysis, perfect. No matter how much jitter, how much rounding of the shoulders of the square wave, or how much noise, if the bitstream is accurately reconstituted at the receiving end, the result is as though there'd been no degradation of signal at all. (taken from bluejeanscable.com)

A digital cable either works or it doesn't. If the spdif cable meets the 75ohm standard it will sound identical to any other spdif cable.

nspindel

jeremymarcinko wrote: »

A digital cable either works or it doesn't. If the spdif cable meets the 75ohm capacitance standard it will sound identical to any other spdif cable.

Please teach us some more about this. I'm very interested in hearing more about this 75ohm capacitance thing of which you speak.

jeremymarcinko

nspindel wrote: »

Please teach us some more about this. I'm very interested in hearing more about this 75ohm capacitance thing of which you speak.

Forgive my mistake, I still on my first cup of coffee

tonyb

Jeremy,
You can take an article off the internet that claims one thing, and I can find one from another cable company that would state the opposite. Trick is just trying different cables, if you can't hear a difference thats cool, not everyone can, but it doesn't mean that becomes gospel for everyone else.

thsmith

Again KK D-60
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=KKD60